Forgotten
by Bookies9
Summary: Lily Evans can't stand James Potter. But he loves her, and loves her truly. But she holds nothing but contempt: or does she?


_Dear Lily,_

_We're awfully sorry but you can't come home for Christmas. Mum's got a bad case of snotty flu and the doctor recommended we go somewhere hot for the winter. Greece, here we come! Tuney isn't coming, unfortunately, she's accepted an invitation from Margaret Dursley to come and stay. You've met her, haven't you? I don't recall you getting on with her though, you both have such strong personalities. The invitation doesn't extend to you, so unless a friend invites you home for the holidays I'm afraid you'll have to stay at Hogwarts. But... I'm sure your mother and I fully deserve a break._

Lily allowed herself a smile. Silly old Dad!

_Oh, I wish I'd had the chance to go to Hogwarts. It sounds so fantastic- especially the food. Tuney and I have been living off baked beans and egg since your mother's been ill. Tuney's got 'homework' and I'm simply too lazy to do it. It also would be helpful if I could do a 'clean the whole house, do my work, and cook a gourmet dinner' spell. When you're seventeen and you can do magic at home I expect you to do that immediately. Hahaha. _

_Your present(s) should be arriving shortly. Toodles! _

_Lots and lots of love, _

_Your Silly Dad _

Lily's eyes sprung to the window. Three tawny owls stared at her beseechingly, their eyes clearly saying "Lemme in, you lunatic! I'm freezing!"

She pulled out her wand and whispered "Alohomora!" It was late and she doubted anybody would be happy about waking up at midnight. She often did this: she stayed up for hours after everybody had gone to bed. She did her homework, read the latest book on Charms Theory, stroked her owl Percival and flipped him owl treats, and heated up Pumpkin Juice over the fire.

The window clicked open and the three owls shuffled in grumpily, shaking off a thin layer of snow onto the windowsill.

"_Honestly,_" Lily sighed and slammed the window shut. "Accio dustpan!"

The dustpan and brush zoomed towards her and began to clean up the snow vigorously.

She turned her attention to the bedraggled owls, who had surreptitiously shuffled over to the large bag of Owl Treats and were gobbling them down.

"Hey!" She grabbed the bag and re-sealed it, and hugged it to her chest. "They're not yours!"

The owls turned their backs on her and stuck out their legs impatiently. She detached the three large parcels and stacked them on the coffee table, where her forgotten Pumpkin Juice was steaming and a stack of parchment covered in diagrams and her flowery writing lay.

She picked up the first parcel and grinned when she read the label. Lily ripped the parcel open and recovered a black and white patterned box with a red ribbon tied tastefully around. She untied the ribbon, pausing to tie her hair back into a low ponytail. She lifted the lid and gasped.

"Oh my goodness, it's beautiful!" she cried, lifting the red dress out of the box and held it up against herself. She dug further into the box and discovered a pair of matching shoes.

"Bingo!"

She changed quickly into the dress and shoes, and admired herself in the mirror.

"Perfect," she whispered.

"You've got that right, Evans," came a voice from the stairs.

She spun around. A tall, handsome, bespectacled boy stood there in Wimburne Wasps pyjamas. "Potter."

James laughed. "No need to sound so cold, Lily. I simply heard some commotion in the Common Room and decided to come and check it out."

"Nothing's happening, Potter. I'm just opening my Christmas presents in privacy. Well, it used to be privacy." She glared pointedly at the boys' staircase.

"What?!" she demanded when she saw his grin slip.

"I would appreciate it if you weren't so rude, Lily. All I did was come down to see what was going on. And I thought we were friends."

Lily looked incredulously at him, her mouth open.

"You're wrong there," she said in a slightly softer tone of voice.

"Why do you hate me?" James murmured suddenly.

"I... I... don't..." she whispered. "I don't like you."

"Why?" James looked wounded.

"Do I have to explain?" Lily hissed.

As they glared at each other, Lily felt suddenly guilty. This was James, her best friend in her first year at Hogwarts. He had known all about the Wizarding World and seemed to be friendly and open. She would sit with him at mealtimes and whenever they had to take partners in a lesson, Lily would walk up to James' desk and grin at him.

"Are you going with anybody?"

"Now I am," he would laugh, and she would sit down at his desk and start talking over the assignment.

And, she remembered with a nasty jolt, the first day of July.

She was sitting alone in the courtyard which led to the grounds. It was early twilight and still very warm. She'd had a bad day.

Slowly but surely Lily had begun to make new friends. It still wasn't often that she was without James in a class partnership, but several times when James approached she would murmur to him, "Um, I'm working with Evie today. Why don't you go with Remus?"

"Er... that's fine," James whispered.

Evie on that day had told Lily's biggest secret to her whole dorm- she fancied Curtis Thomas in fifth year. Lily couldn't take seeing anyone after that- so she had fled to the courtyard to curl up on the bench and cry.

"Lily?"

She looked up, her eyes misting over. "James!"

"Um, I heard about Curtis," he said awkwardly, seating himself on the bench next to her. "Evie told me."

"She's telling everybody."

"Yes, unfortunately."

They shared a moment of sadness, and then Lily choked back a sob. James placed his arm around her shoulders. "Don't worry about Evie. You have other friends."

"Examples? Give me examples!"

"Um... you have Elissa and Madalyn!"

"Spread around another secret." Lily's voice was muffled as her face was buried in James' jacket.

"Which one?"

"That I secretly couldn't stand Catarina. Try again."

"The Dixie Chick?"

"Dixie- um, we're not close."

"Skye? Milena? Sita? Who knows, Lily? I don't know your friends."

"And I don't know yours."

James was silent. "You really have no friends left?"

"Nope."

James pulled her upright and stared beseechingly into her green eyes. "Aren't I your friend?"

"I don't think of you as a friend," she whispered.

James felt his heart skip several beats. THIS WAS IT. Did.. did she love him?

"I think of you as a brother. A good one. We have our ups and downs, but we'll always be best friends forever."

"I think of you the same way," James lied, taking her hand and giving her a brotherlike hug.

_You'll only ever be a brother to her, _said a little voice in his head. _Nothing more. Only a brother._


End file.
